Even though the potential of 5G technology is well known, having it massively deployed and available to end-users is not an easy task. To unlock all of 5G’s use cases at scale, smaller radio equipment and antennas (Small Cells) must be deployed in a dense manner across closer to end users. However, there is a catch: it is currently very difficult for MNOs to be able to deploy this equipment at scale, within public spaces. Thus, a major obstacle must be overcome to ultimately unlock massive deployments and adoption: a common platform connecting both Infrastructure Owners (such as, but not limited to, Municipalities) and entities which are in dire need of having proper licensing and authorisation to install new or exploit readyto-be-used 5G equipment, easing the process for site acquisition, asset and network management, in the most transparent and simple way. 5GaaS intends to develop and launch a new product in the form of a decentralised marketplace for the telecom ecosystem, under a new Joint Venture. This new platform is the culmination of three major components, two of them currently already available in the market : a centralised marketplace for site leasing and tenant management, from Ubiwhere, and dRAX, from Accelleran, an interoperable, standards-based and software-focused implementation of 5G networks. The other innovative component will come out of H2020 5GCity project, to which 5GaaS partners have collaboratively contributed to by building an automated 5G network slicing engine for Neutral Hosts. 5GaaS expands these layers, implementing a decentralised marketplace connecting the whole 5G value-chain of stakeholders such as MNOs, site owners, system integrators and hardware and software vendors, using blockchain technology. During the project, the consortium will focus on pilot activities to showcase the benefits and capabilities of said platform, having it deployed across a total of 25 sites, in 5 different European cities.

Technological breakthroughs empowered by enabling technologies hold a transformation potential that can be funneled to address industrial and societal grand challenges, like greening and digitalisation. To exploit this transformative potential, the innovation journey that leads new emerging technologies to their market-uptake shall embed since its early value-sensitive considerations, such as environmental and societal implications. With FORGING we propose a new methodology based on a value-sensitive innovation journey that breaks linear innovation trajectories to stimulate new technological visions and pathways attentive to the environment and society, and human-centred in alignment with Industry 5.0. technological frameworks. The value-sensitive innovation journey will be deployed in three phases: the technological uncovering with tech experts from academia and industry to detect early signals of emerging technologies; the societal confluence exploring the desirability and societal impact, and implications of novel technologies; the full-fledged co-creation opening to the broader community to develop concrete use cases for tech uptake. We will develop 6 Technological Pathways to transfer ideas and help industry navigate through issues related to the absorption and deployment of the use cases. FORGING methodology will be implemented by catalysing stakeholders’ community with 600 active members, from academia to industry, to CSS, to policy makers and to the broader society. We aim to organise 24 co-creation sessions, consultations with 20 policy bodies, 6 scenario workshops and Tech. and Innovation campaigns to drive tech. adoption. The FORGING Playbook and Toolbox will gather a set of facilitation guidance and materials for exploration, reflection, co-creation and evaluation of emerging technologies. These assets, jointly with the FORGING community, will sustain FORGING as a new flagship initiative on emerging enabling technologies.